Typical Cup Profile

Sidra, also known as Bourbon Sidra or Sydra, delivers an extraordinary sensory experience defined by intense sweetness, vivid complexity, and a bright, structured acidity. It exhibits a pronounced floral and fruity character reminiscent of high-altitude Ethiopian coffees.

Washed lots typically reveal elegant notes of jasmine, bergamot, and stone fruits like peach and apricot. When processed as natural or anaerobic fermentations, Sidra shifts toward deeper notes of cherry, blackberry, and red wine. Its body is consistently silky, and its high aromatic intensity has made it a favorite on international barista competition stages.

Genetic Origin & History

The origin of Sidra has long been a subject of debate among geneticists and specialty coffee producers. The most famous account traces back to a research facility operated by Nestlé in the Pichincha province of Ecuador during the 1990s, where scientists were crossing Ethiopian landrace varieties with traditional Bourbon.

A field technician, Don Olger Rogel, identified two outstanding plants with exceptional cup profiles and distributed them to local Ecuadorian farmers: one became Sidra, and the other became its sister variety, Typica Mejorada.

While long assumed to be a natural hybrid of Bourbon and Typica, modern DNA testing indicates that Sidra descends directly from Ethiopian landraces that acclimated to Ecuador's unique microclimates over generations. Today, it thrives primarily at elevations above 1,700 meters above sea level in regions like Pichincha, Imbabura, and Loja.